VCU news

By Tom Gresham

“Shadow Play,” an original production of TheatreVCU, promises to delight and surprise audiences during its debut run at the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts from Nov. 6 to Nov. 23.

A blend of light, shadows, puppetry, sculpture, photography, illusion, animation, choreography and an original musical score, “Shadow Play” uses wordless movement to delve deep into the artistic process, illustrating and celebrating the elusive state of inspiration. The result, according to David Leong, chair of the VCU Department of Theater, is “something that has never been done before.”
 
Leong, a Broadway veteran, conceived the project and then developed it with a host of talented collaborators, including his co-writers and directors, Gary Hopper, assistant chair and director of undergraduate students in the VCU theater department, and Leland Faulkner, a renowned shadowgrapher and illusionist. The play was honed and fine-tuned through six workshop productions at VCU with theater students over the course of four years.

Faulkner said “Shadow Play” audiences can expect to find a wholly realized brand-new world on stage.

“I think (audience members) are in for a terrific journey,” Faulkner said. “They will feel like they have been to a different place. It will blow their minds. They will feel like they’ve been transported.”

Leong likens the spirit of “Shadow Play” to other productions that utilize movement and effects to capture audiences, such as “Stomp,” “Blue Man Group” and “Mummenshchanz.” However, “Shadow Play” is not merely a series of set pieces. It is a narrative that follows the story of a disillusioned young artist who is struggling to complete his latest installation. With the help of the inhabitants from the shadow world, he finds his inspiration and completes his masterpiece.

Maggie Marlin, a VCU graduate student and member of the cast, said the play is so original that she initially worried about how people would respond to it.

“Through the whole rehearsal process, I had no idea what (the audience) would think,” she said. “I thought it could be phenomenal, or they could wonder why they paid good money for it.”

However, after seeing the production in full, with its many elements integrated and clicking, she found herself dazzled.

“The audience will come in, sit down and just be taken for a ride,” Marlin said. “They won’t think of anything else.”

“Shadow Play” performances will be held on Nov. 6-8, 13-15 and 20-22 at 7:30 p.m. and on Nov. 9. 16 and 23 at 3 p.m. in the Raymond Hodges Theatre of the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Avenue. For tickets, contact the TheatreVCU box office at (804) 828-6026 or theatretix@vcu.edu.